Elite defender has Oregon Ducks holding their breath with pending announcement after saying 'They really believe in me'
The Oregon Ducks are happy they've made it to the final four on top linebacker Tyler Atkinson's list as he heads toward making a decision. While this offseason has brought some major frustrations on the recruiting trail, the Ducks have recovered well over the last month. Confusing flips and last-minute losses can be forgiven if […]
The Oregon Ducks are happy they've made it to the final four on top linebacker Tyler Atkinson's list as he heads toward making a decision. While this offseason has brought some major frustrations on the recruiting trail, the Ducks have recovered well over the last month. Confusing flips and last-minute losses can be forgiven if their hot streak extends to include Atkinson.
The Georgia native won't make it easy, though. He's looking at Clemson and Texas, too, so Oregon is a bit of an odd Duck here. That could be a positive if Atkinson is willing to put his faith in relationships and a developmental program for linebackers that has worked quite well.
Here's the latest as his decision has been characterized as very close, even coming by the end of July.
While Georgia is nabbed as the team to beat, Atkinson himself showed a lot of love to Oregon after his visit, per On3.
“I really don’t have any words to describe the feeling from this visit other than, ‘They really believe in me … The entire visit was an experience from beginning to end. I love the “AtkNup Plan” for me and the love they showed my family … We had a lot of great experiences that were non-football … Coach Tosh showed me some new fishing tips. Coach Lanning helped get my golf swing right, and Coach B-Mike always fed my football appetite. They did everything they could to show me how much I belonged, and I felt it.”
It'd be a bit surprising to see Atkinson make his way out to the Pacific Northwest, as the Ducks have had much more success from the East Coast and Texas than they have the Southeast. It's just so far and such a culture shock that it's rare that Southern boys leave for anywhere but a few Northern programs.
